Taking Beauty (Taking Beauty Trilogy Book 1)

by Wild, Nikki

  “You’re asking for my opinion?”

  “I am,” I nodded. “I have my personal thoughts on it, but I wonder what you think. You were so kind to me last time, after all.”

  The old woman turned to the canvas and sighed to herself, contemplating the presentation. This wasn’t one of my usual landscapes – it was the painting of a small girl, holding a puppy upright in her arms as she stood along the beach, its legs dangling down. Her back was to the water, and her pet covered most of her smiling face. The tide was nipping at her ankles as she faced the viewer, and the sun was setting quietly in the background.

  “Fear,” she finally spoke.

  “Fear? What do you mean by that?”

  The woman glanced over at me tenderly, and then back to the painting again. “See how the child faces away from the ocean? She has turned her back on the world, hiding behind the comfort of another living creature. She feels the cold of the tide, but refuses to venture into its embrace. This child is one who is trapped between worlds – unable to join that of the spectator, and unwilling to exist joyously within her own.”

  “That’s an interesting conclusion,” I remarked, pressing a pair of fingers to my chin as I studied the artwork alongside her. “I’d always thought it more of the opposite – refusing the comfort of the sea to confront the audience, offering up the sight of the dog as a gift, maybe.”

  The woman smiled. “Such is the wonder of art. Such varied interpretations. You never know what the artist expects or the audience finds.”

  “Do you like it?” I asked her curiously.

  “Yes, I believe that I do. I’m somewhat fond of the artist herself, having been able to converse with her a few times.”

  “I painted this one,” I responded, confused. “I’ve only seen you here twice now.”

  “I know,” she winked. “But I’ve been here a little more often than that. You just haven’t seen me… but I’ve seen you. And I’ve spoken to you, through observing your artwork. You are an interesting young woman, Riley.”

  “I don’t believe I’ve ever gotten your name,” I recalled, reaching out my hand to her. “You obviously know who I am. Riley Ricketts. Who might you be?”

  “Oh, you know who I am,” she smiled. “You’ve been waiting for me for a long time.”

  The cogs in my brain snapped, trying to rectify this impossible scenario. It couldn’t be. But it was…

  “You’re Gloria Van Lark,” I murmured.

  She smiled triumphantly. “Indeed.”

  My brain worked at a hundred miles an hour. “But… your reputation… you’re supposed to be tall, hawkish, with dark hair and spectacles… I’ve seen pictures of you! I’ve met you!”

  Gloria smiled knowingly. “My proxy, Paulette. She operates in my stead, representing me across the world. I have taught her over the many years to reflect my precise eye for artwork, and I sometimes accompany her to ensure that the proper decisions are made.”

  “So, that was Paulette that I spoke with before.”

  “Aye,” Gloria acknowledged. “I stayed in town for a few days, enjoying some of your delicious cuisine and museums. I wasn’t sold on your work, but a very compelling phone call convinced me to give you another try.”

  “Phone call?”

  “Your investor,” she clarified. “On principle, I would have turned the money down, but I was nonetheless intrigued by his offer…”

  “I don’t know what investor you might be talking about, but I’m glad to have had the opportunity to meet you – properly, this time,” I found myself blurting out.

  “Agreed. You say you don’t know who it is?”

  “Not at all,” I answered truthfully.

  She stepped closer, peering deeply into my eyes. I felt a strong sense of sudden invasion as she glanced into the windows to my soul, studying me very, very carefully.

  “…I see,” she murmured to herself. “Well, that convinces me then.”

  “Convinces you of what?” I asked, unwilling to let my hopes rise too much.

  “I wanted to be the one to tell you to your face that Gloria Van Lark cannot be bought. Not with fancy words, and not with million dollar donations.”

  Million dollar donations? Lex! What the hell did you do?!?

  “But I can see now that you haven’t orchestrated this meeting… And… Perhaps I’ve grown rather fond of a few of your pieces during my time here in New Orleans.”

  I hung on her every word, and Gloria beamed with pride as she spoke the words I never thought I’d hear in my wildest dreams:

  “Riley Ricketts, I would be my pleasure to purchase select pieces to feature in your very own exhibit within the Spinnoc galleries.”

  I could barely contain my excitement.

  “Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!” I exclaimed, resisting every urge to throw my arms around this woman and hug her to death. “This means so much to me… I can’t possibly thank you enough…”

  “There is a condition,” she added quickly.

  “A condition?” I asked, puzzled at her tone.

  “Walk with me,” Gloria told me, and I fell into step beside her as we crossed the museum, passively observing the exhibits.

  “The condition is your undivided attention,” she stipulated. “I don’t fancy all of your artwork, but I do appreciate a few choice selections. If you want an exhibit in the Spinnoc, you will have to focus entirely on your craft. You will need to move to San Diego. I can give you room and board with studio access, and I’ll fully expect to see more of your work within several months.”

  “Move to San Diego? I….”

  Gloria cut me off before I could finish my thought.

  “And I want none of these landscapes. They’re good, but not nearly good enough to display in my galleries. Leave them to the professionals, and concentrate on the conceptual pieces and portraits that really demonstrate your talent.”

  “You… want me to move across the country?”

  “Well, naturally,” she answered, glancing over at me. “That won’t be a problem, will it?”

  “I’ll… have to think about that,” I answered. “I mean, my whole life is here. For a short while, I thought about going to England with someone, but we had a bit of a… falling out. He left the country a couple of days ago.”

  “England, you say?” She commented. “Well. That certainly makes sense. It seems you may know your investor after all…” she eyed me sideways, “…or you only just figured that out. Either way, you should have probably reconciled with him when you had the chance.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I thought he perhaps loved you. I could hear it in his voice as we spoke. He must have divested a great deal of resources into finding me, because I make myself scarce on purpose… and I don’t particularly enjoy being found.”

  I had no response. I just turned and stared at the painting of the girl.

  “Never mind all that,” Gloria continued. “I can see I was mistaken as to the strength of your relationship… If you wish to pursue proper representation in my galleries, you will accompany me back to California. The last thing I need is for you to become distracted with such mundane affairs when I’ve come to recognize your worth.”

  “When do you need a decision?” I asked quietly, thinking about Lex. Why had he done this? I’d shut him out of my life. Did he think bribing Gloria would win me over?

  Gloria glanced at a modest watch on her arm. “You have approximately fourteen hours before we board my private jet back to California. I trust that you’ll pack light. I can make the arrangements to observe and purchase any of your existing artwork that I see fit to obtain, but I’ll be expecting you to settle yourself quickly and get straight to work. No dilly-dallying.”

  I thought to my life here in New Orleans, and how rooted I was in this magnificent city. My soul had flourished here for years, powered by the magic in this place.

  And then there were my friends.

  Reiko would understand, but she’d
hate it. She was such a fantastic companion that I dreaded being separated from her. I knew she hated California and wouldn’t be willing to move out that way for me.

  Connor would be devastated. Sure, he could be a pain in the ass, but he was a valuable friend and had been a strong component to my support network since we were kids. Over the last few days we’d reconciled, and I think he finally understood the way our relationship needed to be… But leaving on such sudden notice would be hard…

  “As I said, you have fourteen hours,” Gloria Van Lark repeated, turning on her heel. “If you wish to accompany me, you will meet me here at the steps to this museum at that time. I eagerly await your answer.”

  With that, the mysterious curator of one of the world’s most prestigious and exclusive museums turned on a heel, strolling straight towards the exit.

  I felt like I was going to topple to the ground. This was no ordinary offer. I reached out behind myself as my knees began to buckle. My fingertips found a bench, and I collapsed down into it, struggling to process everything that just happened.

  I had a choice to make:

  My dream, finally come true?

  Staying here with my friends and my life?

  And what the hell was I going to do about Lex?

  I had less than a day to decide… and I didn’t have the faintest idea of what to do.

  Lex

  I was standing on the upper floor, staring out over the grounds, when the phone rang in my pocket. I checked the caller ID… and almost dropped it to the floor when I realized who was on the line.

  Staring at the name for a moment, I accepted the call and lifted the receiver to my ear. “I didn’t expect to hear from you again.”

  “I just met Gloria Van Lark,” Riley blurted breathlessly into the phone.

  “Oh, did you?” I responded thoughtfully.

  “Yeah.” She sounded on edge.

  “Well… how did that go?”

  “Turns out that she likes me, and apparently wants to represent me in her museum,” Riley responded. “No thanks to my investor!”

  “An investor, huh?” I asked, measuring my words carefully. “Didn’t know that you had yourself one of those.”

  “Cut the shit, Lex,” she finally snapped. “You tried to pay her off. She came to the museum to tell me I couldn’t buy her!”

  “Well it sounds like you worked through that… I knew you would, Riley.” I replied, smirking into the phone.

  “Wait a second… You knew? You knew what?”

  “Gloria Van Lark is piece of work Riley. She can’t be bought,” I said.

  “Then why did you try to buy her?!? Did you seriously give her museum a million freaking dollars?” Riley shouted over the line.

  “I did it because I knew that was the only way she would see you personally. I did my research at great personal expense. Gloria likes to hide behind her staff and she never gives anyone a second chance… But she lives for the opportunity to crush someone’s dreams.”

  “You manipulated her?” Riley asked, incredulous. “You knew she’d come to tell me off?”

  “It was worth a shot,” I commented. “So, what happens now?”

  “Now?” Riley sounded pensive. “Like I said, she wants to represent me… but she expects me to move to California with her.”

  “I see,” I remarked. “Are you going to do it.”

  “I have no idea,” Riley confided. “It’s a dream come true to be offered representation, and I can barely fathom how much she’s considering paying for my art… but it’s a lot to ask of me.”

  “Right.”

  “You didn’t have to do this, Lex.”

  “I know that. But I wanted to just express some… regret over how things happened. I know that you’re moving on, but I wanted you to understand that I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sorry too,” Riley whispered down the line. “I was being selfish… Things were just moving too fast… I should have been there for you. I shouldn’t have… left you. And now you’re gone.”

  “I miss you,” I quickly blurted out, unwilling to talk myself out of expressing the sentiment. “I wish you were here.”

  Riley remained quiet on the line.

  “…Riley?”

  Finally, she responded: “Oh god, Lex, I’ve made a huge mistake. I miss you too.”

  I closed my eyes and rested my face against the window, holding the phone pressed against my ear. “I want you here, Riley. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we parted ways… and I’ve been a wreck. Losing you devastated me… and I know I can’t have you, but I want you so badly.”

  There was another piercing silence over the phone. I feared with every passing second that I would hear the line disconnect.

  In fact, I thought it did briefly, but that’s when I noticed Jess trying to dial me on the other line. I ignored her call and continued to hold out for Riley’s response.

  “If I don’t go to San Diego… I’m walking away from the opportunity of a lifetime.”

  “You never needed Gloria before, and you don’t need her today. If you want to go, you should go. Maybe I can visit next time I’m in the states…”

  Another piercing silence… punctuated by the sound of soft crying. Concern clouded my thoughts, and I felt my heart quiver with pain.

  “Riley?”

  “I love you, Lex.”

  It was my turn to be stunned.

  “…I love you too, Riley.”

  “I can’t do this.”

  “What can’t you do?”

  “I can’t take her offer. She wants me to forsake any distractions…”

  “Why is that a problem?” I asked.

  “Because you’re a distraction. You’re a big goddamned distraction!” Riley shouted.

  “That was her condition: move to California and give up everything else. Focus only on my artwork. She thinks that I need to work under a different atmosphere and to give up my life in order to produce my best work. She’s only giving me fourteen hours to decide, and then I’m gone…”

  The phone buzzed against my ear again.

  It was Jess again.

  I ignored the call.

  “Riley… you have to take this chance,” I insisted. “You’ve worked so hard for this opportunity. All I could do was get her to listen to you. You have your chance. You’ve got to take it.”

  “I don’t care about that anymore,” she whispered sadly down the phone. “I never told you this… But… The magic came back.”

  “The magic?” I thought aloud. “You mean, your art? You’re satisfied with your painting again?”

  “I am,” she told me confidently. “After we met, I painted something… I haven’t shown it to anyone yet. It’s different… It’s better. Being with you made me better.”

  She wasn’t the only one… Jess had been right. Riley was the best thing that ever happened to me…

  “I don’t need to be in some stuffy San Diego studio… I need to be with you. You bring out my best creative side. You made me so happy, even if I wasn’t willing to admit it to myself… or to you.”

  “So, what do you want to do, then?” I asked. The silence was deafening. I could feel the conflict through the line.

  “Lex… I don’t know what to do,” she whispered.

  “I’m coming back Riley. I’ll be on a plane tonight. Whatever decision you make tomorrow, I want to be there…”

  This was more than I could have ever hoped for. I practically hurled a victory fist into the sky.

  “Gloria Van Lark expects an answer from me around mid-afternoon… can you get here before then?”

  “I’ll be there for you,” I reassured her.

  “Thank you, Lex…”

  I could barely contain myself as I hung up the phone, but before I had a chance to celebrate, it was ringing again.

  Jess… Shit…

  “I was on the other line,” I explained with a small grin as I answered the call. “I have news for you. Are you ready?” />
  “You’re not the only one,” she replied, sounding incredibly enthusiastic. “Who is the best fucking publicist in the world?”

  “I’m going to guess you,” I replied.

  For some reason, something felt amiss.

  “I expect more conviction in your voice the next time I ask that question, buddy,” Jess chuckled. “Better put on your best fucking suit because I’m already on my way. I’m going to be there in an hour.”

  “What, why? I’m heading out the door. I’ve got a plane to catch.”

  “No, you definitely don’t,” she chided me. “Not when you hear this news: Lex Lambert, you’ve officially landed a direct meeting with the Head of Public Relations for the Patrovo Corporation himself. Cancel whatever you were about to do, because no matter what it was… it can wait.”

  “…Brett Barker wants to see me?”

  “You’re goddamn right he does.”

  The phenomenally bad timing clicked in my head, and I groaned as my forehead braced against the window again. My view incorporated the enclosed glass stadium, the various gardens, and a river that ran across the estate… but my eyes focused on the stadium, cruelly mocking me.

  “…Lex, are you there?”

  “I’m here,” I sighed.

  “You sound a lot less enthusiastic about this than you should be. I know that you’re beating yourself up over Riley, but c’mon. You’ve been waiting for this for ages.”

  “Why does he want to see me now?”

  Jess’s tone grew agitated. “Because it’s the only time I could work you in, unless you planned on waiting a week. By then, the decision would be made.”

  “I don’t get it. I thought he was adamantly against offering me the sponsorship?”

  “Well… it just so turns out that your little bar brawl was recorded. Joys of living in a time where everybody’s got a cellphone camera. And guess who showed up on camera taunting you?”

  “Alistair!”

  “It’s all over the tabloids. Alistair tries to get his own teammate arrested in the US. They have the whole thing on video. The guy attacking you, the way you tried to defend yourself, and Alistair acting like a damn fool. Barker won’t touch the guy with a ten-foot pole,” Jess said, laughing.